


No Pets Allowed

by sepsner



Category: South Park
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mentions of sex work, Older AU, and is also very cute, first meeting AU, karen is there, kenny has a cat, stan wants to pet it, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-21 03:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569011
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sepsner/pseuds/sepsner
Summary: Stan knows there's a cat in the apartment next door. The thing is, cats aren't allowed. He'll let the cat stay, on one condition - if the owner lets him pet her.





	No Pets Allowed

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my multiple one-shots written for NaNo! I might end up editing it once the month ends.  
> This is may be the longest one-shot I've ever written, and it might be meandering, but... enjoy lol

When it came to animals, Stan had a sixth sense. He always knew when there was a dog around the corner, always had just the right amount of birdseed when he went out and saw pigeons. And lately, his animal radar had been going crazy.  
  
Someone in his building had a pet.  
  
You weren’t meant to have pets in this apartment. Well, you weren’t meant to burn candles in this apartment, but everyone did it anyway. You weren’t meant to install new utilities, but Stan had definitely heard drilling against the walls. So, someone must have been spitting right in the face of the landlords. Not that Stan blamed them. It was all worth it, to keep a pet. But _who_ had it?  
  
Stan came back into the apartment one day, carrying bags of groceries. That’s when it happened. He passed his neighbour’s house and heard it. It was small, and Stan almost missed it, but it was there.  
  
A meow.  
  
He gasped, realising that the animal had been next door all along. Butterflies exploded in his stomach, excitement rising. He _had_ to pet it. Stan hurried into his apartment and dumped his groceries, then went straight back into the hallway.  
  
Stan knocked impatiently. It seemed to take the owner forever to come to the door, and Stan was counting every second. Forty one, forty two - the door opened, and Stan had to try not to gasp again.  
  
The man on the other side of the doorway was an angel. His blond hair was untidy perfection, his baby blue eyes piercing and welcoming at the same time. Freckles were scattered across his face. Stan almost fell in love.  
  
“Can I help you?”  
  
Oh, he sounded like an angel, too. Stan forgot how to speak. “Cat.”  
  
The man’s face dropped. “Listen, it’s not mine, my friend is in Europe and-”  
  
“Let me pet it,” Stan blurted. Come on, dude, pull yourself together. “Let me pet your cat, and I won’t tell anyone about it.”  
  
The other man’s mouth hung open, confused, until they both heard a tiny meow. The two of them looked down at the little ginger cat rubbing its face on Stan’s legs. He could have cried.  
  
The blond sighed. “She likes you, so, whatever, come in. Before anyone sees.”  
  
Stan could have burst. He picked the little cat up, gently. She purred. It was the purest moment of Stan’s life. He followed his neighbour, closing the door behind him.  
  
“What’s your cat’s name?” Stan asked, paying full attention to the cat instead of her owner.  
  
“Pumpkin.”  
  
“Pumpkin,” Stan wailed. It was perfect. She was perfect.  
  
“And I’m Kenny.”  
  
“That’s nice.”  
  
“Hey.” Stan looked up and jumped. Kenny had moved close without Stan even noticing, and now stood in his personal space. “I’m Kenny.” His eyes bore into Stan’s skull.  
  
“I’m Stan,” he whimpered.  
  
“Thank you.” Kenny backed off again. Pumpkin jumped out of Stan’s arms and ran onto a chair. She sat down and stared at Stan, then meowed. “She wants you to fuss over her like a princess.”  
  
Stan laughed a little. “What, sit on the floor and pet her, like a serf?” He was joking.  
  
“Yes.” Kenny was not joking.  
  
“Oh.” Well, Stan wasn’t going to ignore the request of a pretty princess. He sat on the floor by the chair and stroked Pumpkin. She purred, louder than any other cat Stan had pet. “She’s spoilt, then?”  
  
Kenny smiled. “Yeah, I guess so. I found her alone on the street, yelling her lungs out, so I had to bring her home. And now she’s my princess.”  
  
God, that was cute. Kenny was cute. “You ever have pets as a kid?”  
  
“Nah.” Kenny shook his head. “We were always too poor. It would’ve been cruel to keep an animal when we knew we wouldn’t be able to feed it every day.”  
  
Stan nodded. At least this guy didn’t seem like a shitty pet owner. Stan would probably know if he was when he first walked in, anyway. The house didn’t smell like cat waste, she wasn’t dangerously thin or too fat, and there were toys scattered across the house. It was a relief to know that the cat that had been secretly living next to him this whole time was looked after.  
  
But that just meant Stan wanted to see her _more_.  
  
“I used to have a dog,” Stan said, scratching Pumpkin’s neck. “His name was Sparky, and he was the best dog a guy could ever ask for. He was gay, too.”  
  
Kenny laughed. “Do you use that line on girls you try to pick up?”  
  
Stan snorted. “Don’t you think it’d work more on guys?”  
  
“I didn’t realise you were into guys.”  
  
Stan looked over his shoulder at Kenny. Oh, yeah, he was definitely into guys.  
  
“Some guys, yeah. I like pretty boys.”  
  
Kenny laughed again. “You and me both.”  
  
Stan bit his lip and turned back to Pumpkin. His heart was racing as he realised just what was happening. He was in another man’s house - a very handsome man. Alone. Just them. And Pumpkin, obviously, but she didn’t know what was going on. Would it be weird to try and hit on Kenny in his own house? Stan didn’t even know if Kenny was a good guy. Sure, he could look after a pet, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t a murdering rapist.  
  
“I said, do you want a drink?”  
  
Stan snapped out of his panic and turned to look at Kenny, who was now in the kitchen area. “Oh. Yeah. Sure. Uh, coffee, if you have it.”  
  
“Of course I have coffee. Who do you think I am?”  
  
“I have no idea who you are, I hope you know that.”  
  
“Oh, yeah, that’s true.” Kenny snorted. “Do you wanna find out?”  
  
God, Stan thought, yes. Yes I do. “I’ll find out more about you if I keep coming over. You know, as a side effect of seeing Pumpkin.”  
  
“Sure,” Kenny smiled. “A side effect of Pumpkin.”  
  
Stan watched Kenny make two coffees. His hands were clumsy, like he hadn’t been making coffee for very long before this. There were bandaids on his fingers - did Pumpkin play rough? Stan couldn’t stop watching his hands as Kenny worked, up until he was passing the mug to Stan.  
  
“Do you make coffee much?” Oh, wait, manners. “Thanks, by the way.” Nice one, Stan.  
  
It didn’t seem like Kenny cared much. “Not really. I couldn’t afford coffee until I got this place.”  
  
“Huh.” Stan took a sip, then coughed. “It’s hot, shit!”  
  
Kenny laughed. “Oh, the freshly brewed coffee is hot? I never knew.” He sat on the couch opposite from Pumpkin’s throne.  
  
“Shut up,” Stan grumbled. He put the mug down and pulled his knees up to his chest, leaning against Pumpkin’s seat. “So your family was poor, huh?”  
  
Kenny gave his coffee a sad smile. Stan panicked for a moment, worried that he had just struck a nerve. What kind of a question was that? And what kind of a jackass was Stan to have asked it?  
  
But Kenny answered anyway. “Really poor. I did things no kid should have done to help my family get by.”  
  
Alright, _now_ Stan wasn’t gonna ask. That definitely wasn’t appropriate. “But now..?”  
  
“Oh, now,” Kenny smiled, “I can afford to have this place, and my little sister, and Pumpkin, too.”  
  
Little sister? Stan thought the two of them were alone. “Where’s your sister now?”  
  
“A friend’s house.” Ah, so they _were_ alone, but the sister could come back at any moment. Wait, why was Stan even thinking about that? It wasn’t like he came over to fool around. He was just there for the cat. And the coffee, apparently. And… the conversation with an angelic man.  
  
“What about you?” Kenny asked. “How did you grow up?”  
  
“Well…” Stan scratched the back of his head. He didn’t want to _brag_ in front of Kenny, especially after he just admitted something so sad. “My dad was a musician and a geologist, and my mom worked in admin. We were comfortable, I guess. It’s probably impossible to be _rich_ if you have two kids.”  
  
Kenny hummed in agreement. “Kids want a lot.”  
  
“Yeah.” And Stan often got what he wanted. Kenny probably didn’t. Move the conversation on, dude. “Being a childless adult rules, though.”  
  
“I’d wanna be a parent one day,” Kenny smiled. Stan’s heart ached. Kenny’s face had lit up, and now he was glowing. God, he was _beautiful_. “For now, Pumpkin is my baby.”  
  
“She’s a beautiful baby,” Stan smiled. “And a little spoilt.” He turned to Pumpkin, and she meowed at him. “Yeah,” Stan replied. “You know we’re talking about you, little miss!”  
  
Kenny laughed lightly as Stan cooed at the cat. His next line caught Stan completely off guard. “So, are you single?”  
  
“What?” Stan choked.  
  
“You’re a handsome dude,” Kenny hummed, leaning back against his couch. “You’re in my apartment, unassisted. Are you using my cat as some kind of ruse?”  
  
“No!” Stan squeaked. “I promise, I just wanted to see your cat!”  
  
“So are you taken?”  
  
“I’m single!” Stan didn’t realise just how enthusiastically he ended up yelling. Maybe he was desperate. Oh, god. He _was_. Now Kenny would think he was stupid and pathetic.  
  
Except Kenny smiled at him. “I’m single, too. Just letting you know.”  
  
Stan gulped. Something about Kenny giving him that look set his hairs on end. Like Kenny was a predator, and Stan was a tiny mouse that was about to get eaten up.  
  
Stan found he didn’t really mind that much.  
  
Embarrassed, he chugged his still-hot coffee. His tongue burnt - at least he was focusing on the pain rather than how embarrassed Kenny was making him feel. He only came over to pet the cat! He wasn’t expecting to be flirted with! Especially not by a cute guy!  
  
“You can come over whenever you want,” Kenny said suddenly. “I’d appreciate the company. I love Karen, but she’s at the age where she’d rather be on her own or with friends than with her big brother.”  
  
“Sure,” Stan whimpered, his throat still scorched. “It’s not like I have anyone to keep me company, either.”  
  
“Good,” Kenny hummed. “Then we can keep each other company.”  
  
Stan stared down at his now-empty coffee mug. Was this okay? Of course it was. It was just Stan getting to know his neighbour. They were both lonely. It wasn’t like he was taking advantage of Kenny just to see his cat or anything. If anything, this was better!  
  
Thinking about the cat… Stan looked over where Pumpkin was sitting to find that she was gone. He panicked for a moment before realising she had just walked over to Kenny.  
  
“Thank God,” Stan sighed in relief. I didn’t know where Pumpkin went for a minute there.”  
  
“She likes walking around,” Kenny said, scratching Pumpkin’s head. “She’s an energetic cat. Actually… would you mind if I asked you to come over and play with her sometimes?”  
  
Stan snorted. “Um, yes. Duh. I would actually love that.”  
  
Kenny smiled. “Good. All her toys are in a box down there.” He pointed to a box next to the couch.  
  
Stan shuffled over on his knees to take a peek in the box. If he said that Pumpkin had a _few_ toys, he would be lying. The box was _full_. “She’s got a lot of toys!”  
  
“Yeah,” Kenny laughed. “I spoil her. It’s weird, because she’s a cat, but I don’t want her to feel unloved.”  
  
“No, I get it!” Maybe Kenny had a personal reason for this. Maybe he was never spoiled himself? He did mention not being able to afford a pet… “If you’re not gonna love a pet, then there’s no point in having one.”  
  
“Exactly,” Kenny hummed. “And now I can afford a cat, I can afford to spoil her. So I will.”  
  
And, Stan thought to himself, so will I. After a brief conversation, Stan headed back home, wondering when he would see Pumpkin - and Kenny - again.  
  
Stan didn’t have to wait long.  
  
He was in the middle of preparing dinner when someone knocked on his door. He grumbled, quickly washing his hands before heading over, only to find that Kenny was the one at the door.  
  
“Hey,” Stan smiled, leaning against the doorframe, trying to look attractive. “What’s up?”  
  
Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. “Karen’s at a sleepover and I need to go to work. Can you look after Pumpkin?”  
  
Stan’s heart leapt. “Of course! I’m in the middle of making dinner, though, so can I..?”  
  
“Bring it over,” Kenny urged him. “I’ll help you carry everything you need.”  
  
Stan couldn’t turn him down. He and Kenny brought over ingredients and a few electrical devices that Stan would need to do work and entertain himself. Kenny even let Stan bring a table he had been working on to finish up over at his place. It was almost like Stan was in his own place, except it was next door.  
  
He had dinner alongside Pumpkin, leaving some leftovers covered on the counter for Kenny to eat. He sanded down the table and started painting it, trying to keep the little kitten out of the paint. He watched some videos, letting Pumpkin fall asleep on his lap. Kenny said he would be working late, but Stan didn’t expect he meant _this_ late.  
  
Soon enough, Stan fell asleep.  
  
Stan woke up to Kenny making noise. He could smell what Kenny was doing before he realised what it was - was that breakfast? Oh, man, was that bacon? Stan sat upright and glanced over at the kitchen. All the dirty dishes he had made were now cleaned, and over the stove was Kenny, cooking away.  
  
“Hey,” Stan mumbled, wiping his eyes. “When did you get back?”  
  
“Oh, morning,” Kenny smiled over his shoulder. “Uh, not too long ago, actually. I haven’t slept yet.”  
  
“What?” Stan laughed a little. “Seriously? That’s crazy. Where do you _work_?”  
  
Kenny shrugged, turning his attention back to the stove and the bacon sizzling on top of it. “You know. It’s, uh…” He moved the bacon around, seemingly wanting to avoid the conversation. “Hey, thanks for keeping an eye on Pumpkin for me.”  
  
“No… problem?” Stan got up and moved into the kitchen area. “Where did you say you work?”  
  
“Um,” Kenny cleared his throat. Usually, Stan wouldn’t want to push, but this was just making him incredibly curious. If Kenny had a secret, Stan wanted to know what it was. Maybe it was just because it was Kenny. Maybe Stan was finally as nosey as his friends were. “You know. The, uh, strip joint at the edge of town.”  
  
“Oh.” Stan rubbed his arm. Maybe he shouldn’t have probed after all. What did this mean? Was Kenny a stripper? Was Kenny a sex worker? Oh, God, Stan really shouldn’t have asked. “Sorry, if you’re not comfortable talking to me about it, then…”  
  
“No, it’s fine.” Kenny sighed. “I shouldn’t feel like this about work, anyway. It’s just work. It’s not like I’m being _hurt_ or anything.”  
  
At least that set Stan’s mind at ease, even slightly. “Yeah?” He moved a little closer. “What do you do there?” Please don’t say sex work.  
  
“Mostly I’m a waiter.” Kenny looked over at Stan. “Sometimes I’ll dress like a princess and have my own show. My act is _Princess Kenny_. It’s pretty dumb.”  
  
Stan could have sighed from relief. Sure, this job wasn’t the best, and Stan couldn’t exactly hear _excitement_ in Kenny’s voice, but it could be way worse. Wait, did he say he dresses like a princess?  
  
“Princess Kenny?”  
  
Kenny didn’t seem to be shaken. “Yeah, it’s my feminine persona. It’s nice to let myself be a girl sometimes. Plus, I get all kinds of attention.”  
  
“So you’re a crossdresser?”  
  
Kenny laughed. “Yeah, I guess I’m a crossdresser.”  
  
“So you’re gay?”  
  
“You’re making really big leaps, did you at least warm up?”  
  
“Oh,” Stan mumbled, folding in on himself. “Sorry.”  
  
Kenny laughed. “It’s fine. No, I’m not gay. But I do like guys. I like anyone!”  
  
Stan scratched the back of his neck. If only he wasn’t such a _dumbass_ , maybe he’d have the courage to ask Kenny on a date. But he only went and made himself look super stupid. “Me too,” he mumbled, hoping Kenny would take the heavily veiled hint.  
  
“Cool,” Kenny replied. Disappointing. “Hey, breakfast is ready. You hungry?”  
  
“Oh, yeah,” Stan replied, touching his stomach. “It smells good!”  
  
Kenny smiled. “It’s the least I could do in repayment for you making me dinner.”  
  
What? Oh, right. Stan had made two portions of dinner and left some behind for Kenny. He had almost forgotten. “Wait, did you even eat it?”  
  
“In a hurry,” Kenny said, dishing up the food. “I was _starving_ when I came back, so I really appreciate you making that for me. I’ve never eaten anything so fast!”  
  
Stan took his plate from Kenny. Both of them were loaded with food, almost two portions each. “And you’re still this hungry?”  
  
“I’m always this hungry, dude.”  
  
Stan shared breakfast with Kenny, then left him to finally go to sleep. Pumpkin, Stan assumed, could just curl up with Kenny in bed if she needed company. Part of Stan also wanted to curl up with Kenny in his bed. Ugh, if only that wasn’t _incredibly creepy_.  
  
A week or so passed before Stan heard from Kenny again. Before then, Stan never considered himself to be a lonely person. He lived alone, but he was always able to speak to someone, be it over the phone or in person. He was always busy, constantly working on his crafts and updating his website, so it wasn’t like he had nothing to _do_.  
  
But now, Stan found himself incredibly lonely.  
  
As he measured out wood, Stan found himself thinking about Kenny. He was handsome, Stan figured Kenny knew he was, and had such an uplifting smile. There were bags under his eyes, which was pretty upsetting. Was he working overtime? Too much? How many days did he have off? Did he always work that late? Who was looking after Karen? Maybe Stan should go over and check on them.  
  
But he was just a neighbour. He wasn’t even Kenny’s _friend_. He was a catsitter. He couldn’t overstep his relationship with Kenny. That relationship being… nonexistent. So Stan kept wondering, staring at the wall that separated the two families, holding himself back.  
  
Stan didn’t expect that he would end up running into Kenny on the way back from an errand.  
  
“Hey,” Stan called out, jogging up the driveway as Kenny unlocked the door to the apartment block.  
  
“Oh,” Kenny looked over at him, smiling. Stan’s heart lifted, suddenly light. “Hey.”  
  
“Have you guys been doing okay?” Stan tried not to ask too _desperately_ , even though that’s really what he was. Desperate. Desperate to see Kenny, to make sure he and Karen were doing okay.  
  
“Yeah, we’ve been okay.” Kenny said that, but when Stan looked over him, Kenny seemed exhausted. He had dark bags under his eyes and he was hunched over, his hair messy and greasy. Had he been taking care of himself at all?  
  
“Hey,” Stan said suddenly, moving into Kenny’s space, a little too close. “Maybe I could come over and cook you two dinner tonight.”  
  
Kenny seemed startled that Stan was suddenly so close, but at this point, Stan no longer cared. He just wanted to help. Kenny needed help. “Um… I… sure. Yeah.” Kenny gave a weak smile. “Come on over whenever.”  
  
Stan let Kenny go. He entered his own room and sighed. He couldn’t help himself, suddenly jumping and pacing excitedly around his room. He hadn’t felt like this since he was a child, excited over the girl he liked texting him back. But now came the paranoid cycle of anxiety. Should he go over as soon as he could? Would waiting too long suggest that he went to jerk off or take a shit before he headed over? If he waited _too_ long, would Kenny assume that Stan wasn’t interested or didn’t want to come over?  
  
He waited two painful hours in total before breaking. It was 5pm. It was a reasonable time to start dinner, right?  
  
Stan knocked at the door, and Karen was the one to answer. Pumpkin stood at her feet and meowed up at him.  
  
“Hey,” Stan smiled. “Did Kenny tell you I was coming over?”  
  
“Oh, yeah. He’s taking a nap right now. He said I should let you in.”  
  
“Cool.” Stan headed past her, putting his bag of ingredients down on the worktop.  
  
Karen sat on a stool nearby. “We have food in the house.”  
  
“I know you do. But I don’t know _what_ you have.” Oh, shit, what if Stan made something neither of them liked? Maybe this was a mistake. He peeked into his bag. “Do you like… spicy food?”  
  
Karen grinned. “Yeah, I do.”  
  
“Do you like… chilli?”  
  
“Yeah! I do!”  
  
Stan laughed lightly at her excitement. Karen was super cute. As he pulled out the ingredients, Stan noticed the sparkle in Karen’s eyes. She was leaning forwards, raking her eyes over every bit of food that Stan produced. Maybe… Karen was more excited about the chilli than Stan was.  
  
“Hey.” Stan seemed to snap Karen out of her food trance. “Do you wanna help?”  
  
Her face lit up again. “Duh!”  
  
Karen was allowed to chop the onions, while Stan thinly sliced the garlic. Karen got to stir the meat as Stan added spices. He drained the kidney beans and Karen threw in chopped tomatoes. Stan had to run back to his house to bring over the rice cooker, and eventually, their masterpiece was complete. Three plates of perfect chilli.  
  
“It looks good!” Karen celebrated. She pulled her phone out and took a picture, probably for Instagram - Stan couldn’t help but snort. It wasn’t that he was judging her for it, but that he was reminded of himself, just a few years ago, doing the exact same thing.  
  
“I can never make it look that appetising,” Stan hummed, crossing his arms. “You’ve got the magic touch.”  
  
“Like a chef?” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling. “I don’t cook very much ‘cause a lot of our food is frozen, but I like cooking when I get to do it!”  
  
Stan scratched the back of his head. “Well, I could always help you cook. If Kenny is okay with it…?”  
  
“If I’m okay with what?”  
  
Stan looked behind him to see Kenny. Bedhead, but it wasn’t greasy like this morning. His shirt was baggy, and he was wearing pyjamas. Stan had to stop himself from glancing at Kenny’s crotch, to find out if he could see anything. Stan glanced anyway. He definitely saw something.  
  
“We made chilli!” Karen basically blurted. She ran over to Kenny and grabbed his hand, then dragged him over. “Look! Stathaniel helped me!”  
  
“Wait, Stathaniel?”  
  
Kenny laughed. “It looks good, Stathaniel.”  
  
“Oh,” Stan laughed. “Uh, Karen was the one who did most of it.”  
  
“I did! And Stan said he’d teach me how to cook more!”  
  
Stan pushed himself into the conversation. “If you don’t mind in me coming over.”  
  
Kenny rubbed his eyes. Stan couldn’t help but admire him. He looked like an angel like this. A tired angel who just woke up and was overwhelmingly cute. That was exactly what Kenny was! He gave a lazy, sleepy smile. Stan’s heart thudded. “Sure,” he mumbled. “He can babysit you.”  
  
“I don’t wanna be babysat, I’m a teenager!”  
  
Stan cleared his throat. “You’re just in time, anyway. We just finished the chilli.”  
  
“Oh, yeah. Come eat with us, Kenny!” Karen pushed Kenny over to the worktop. “It’s gonna be so tasty!”  
  
Karen was right. The chilli _was_ so tasty. But Stan had a feeling that it wasn’t just because they cooked it well. It was the taste of eating dinner with family, that two people had put their full effort into. It somehow tasted much better than Stan cooking anything by himself, all because he knew that Karen helped, and that he wasn’t eating alone.  
  
After dinner, Karen was excused, and she ran off to her room. “I should get going,” Stan suggested, standing up.  
  
“Hey, no.” Stan was shocked at the sudden contact of Kenny’s hand on his own. “You can stay a little longer, if you want.”  
  
Stan was winded from Kenny’s gentle fingers. “Just a little longer.”  
  
He sat back down, but Kenny’s fingers didn’t move.  
  
“I’m really appreciative of you,” he started, leaning closer to Stan. Stan gulped. “I’m sorry if I haven’t expressed it. Lately, I’ve been trying to save money, so I’ve been working more, and it’s… exhausting.”  
  
“Hey, it’s okay.” Stan put his free hand on top of Kenny’s, his heart skipping a beat. “I get it. I’m here for you whenever you need anything.”  
  
“That’s… the thing.” Kenny took a deep breath in. Stan panicked. What was Kenny about to tell him? That Stan can’t come over anymore? That he had overstepped the line? Oh, no, Stan had absolutely overstepped the line.  
  
“What is it?”  
  
Kenny paused, seemingly holding back. “What I need, you probably wouldn’t want to give me.”  
  
There was no relief, just… confusion. Stan was confused. “I don’t know what you mean.”  
  
Kenny glanced at Stan. He bit his lower lip and looked like he wanted to say something, but instead of _talking_ … “Fuck it,” Kenny whispered. He leaned across the counter and pushed his lips against Stan’s. Stan almost keeled over from shock, gripping the countertop.  
  
Was this really happening? Had Stan fallen asleep in his apartment as he waited to head over too Kenny’s place? If it was a dream, then there would be no consequences for kissing Kenny back. He leaned into it, closing his eyes and pushing back into the kiss.  
  
It felt like hours before Kenny pulled away, red faced.  
  
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “I need a catsitter, and someone to cook with Karen, and… and I’m lonely, Stan.” He squeezed Stan’s hand. “At work, I pretend to be someone’s partner, but when I come home, I don’t have anything real. You’re the first person who I’ve had feelings for without being paid for having them in…”  
  
“Kenny,” Stan interrupted. “Don’t get yourself worked up. I’m lonely, too, and I…” This was so vulnerable, and Stan’s heart was beating in his ears. He thought for sure that he was going to throw up. “I like you. I like the way you look, yeah, but you care so much about Karen and Pumpkin, and I can tell you have such a big heart, and you’ve been through so much, but all you think about is other people, and--”  
  
“And you care so much about animals,” Kenny blurted, “and you care enough to make me dinner twice, and when I see you I just get an urge to look after you…”  
  
Stan’s dumbfounded expression cracked into a wide smile. “If you want company, I can come over whenever. I need some company, too.”  
  
“I’d be inviting you over every night,” Kenny laughed.  
  
“I’d be fine with that.”  
  
“You’d make dinner every night.”  
  
“That sounds good.”  
  
Kenny squeezed Stan’s hand again. “It’s gonna be hard.”  
  
“I know.” Stan squeezed back. “It’ll be worth it.”  
  
When Stan knew there was a cat in the building, he never thought its owner would be just as adorable as the animal was. It was a surprise that Stan was _incredibly_ happy to have experienced.


End file.
